DOK Leipzig 2017

Ever since Pegida sprang up there has been resistance – colourful, loud and sometimes rhythmic. The rhythms of the counter-protests were often set by the local protest brass band “Banda Comunale”, who formed when the aim was to re-conquer the streets of Dresden, Freital or Clausnitz.

DOK Leipzig 2017

Where is the boundary between documentary observation and staged re-enactment? It may be running right through Chiatura, the former global capital of manganese mining, now sinking into dreariness, perhaps kept together only by the last surviving cable cars. Vakhtang Jajanidze turned places into locations and inhabitants into actors lining up to tell their own stories, which follow a script based on the proverbial “true story”.

DOK Leipzig 2017

This film pays homage to the American DIY spirit and the diversity of the US musical landscape outside the commercial music industry. While many other music films never make it beyond hero worship, director Nicole Wegner consistently maintains eye level with her twelve interview partners, who include Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi), Michael Gira (Swans) and Valentine Falcon (Get Hustle).